First look at US Spaced remake

First look at US Spaced remake

Mar 04

I think I burned out my geek-rage gland. Not over the subject of this post, mind; just in general. It might be an age thing. Inspiring any nerd passion in me requires that it involve something close to my heart, and even then, I often default to a (shrug) “What do they know? They don’t get it and I’m not interested in explaining it to them” position.

So, it is with complete and utter raising of one lazy eyebrow, that I repost this YouTube clip from Frederico Dordei’s website – It’s a 5 minute sampling of the US remake of Spaced and Dordei plays the role of Brian/Christian.

So Hey…

So Hey…

Mar 04

I (Jeff) am looking for an artist to help me out with a 4-8 page sequential thing that I’m doing for the next issue of Grok. It might end up being the first glimpse of the Secret Comic Book Project thing that we’re working on at Alert Nerd, too – a little side story focusing on one of the minor characters from said thing that Matt and I really dig.

Hit me up at J.Stolarcyk(at)gmail(dot)com and we can talk more.

FOR JUSTICE

FOR JUSTICE

Mar 04

So, JLA: Cry For Justice #7.  What in blue fuck was that!?

In the first act of the Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem, the filmmakers do the inviolate – they kill a kid and his dog. We’re not attached to the kid or the dog – I couldn’t even tell you their names – so the act basically serves as a message to the audience that, for the next hour and thirty minutes, we will not be fucking around here.  It is a moment full of declarative force and while it’s shocking, it’s also happening in a monster movie that is a response to a bowdlerized AvP as much as it is a sequel to it.  It makes sense. It has an impact because it makes sense.

Did I just defend killing kids?  Well, fictional killings and fictional kids, but I’m not going to write the whole idea off with a “NEVER!”  There’s always at least one good use for even the worst idea. Angelina Jolie married Billy Bob Thornton.

Why do I bring this up? So that you know where my limits are when I tell you that the cheap and thoughtless killing off of Lian Harper is crass, insulting bullshit storytelling and that whatever member of DC’s Powers That Be who said “Yes, that’s an excellent idea!”  should have one final, fleeting moment of humanity as they lie down in a casket filled with the rich and loamy soil of their homeland as the dawn approaches and stake themselves.

I mean, I guess that we should maybe be thankful that Doctor Light wasn’t involved. Right?  I guess we should be thankful that Mirror Master didn’t do a line of coke off of her eight year old corpse, or that Superboy Prime didn’t squash her head like a grape or that Deathstroke the Terminator didn’t brainwash her with syringes full of mind control drugs or whatever.  At least she didn’t grow up into some hateable melange legacy character called “Red Cheshire” who’d get ignominiously executed during a linewide “Crisis” event. At least it was just a bomb.

Fuck you, DC Comics.  I don’t even like Roy Harper – NOBODY likes Roy Fucking Harper, for crying out loud, but you’ve just gotten rid of the one thing that makes him interesting that isn’t a crippling heroin addiction or a severe case of juvenile overcompensation.  Congratulations.

Lost 6.4, “The Substitute”

Lost 6.4, “The Substitute”

Mar 03

Note: This isn’t a review of last night’s episode of Lost; it’s not even a review of last week’s episode of Lost, since our pal Jeff admirably wrote up that episode already. It’s a review of two episodes ago, done only to satisfy my anal need to make sure we’ve reviewed every episode here at Alert Nerd. In a few days I’ll write up the latest episode, Jeff will pick up next week’s, and all will be right with the world, such as it is.

BenLocke

“Don’t tell me what I can’t do,” “John Locke” yells. Of course, he’s not really Locke at all; he’s the creature we’ve known till now as the smoke monster and the Man in Black, taking Locke’s form, to what end we’re not sure. John Locke is dead, killed by Ben Linus.

Nerdly Advice – March 2, 2010

Nerdly Advice – March 2, 2010

Mar 02

Nerds have questions, but nerds have to appear authoritative or risk losing their nerdy cred.

That’s why, as a recurring feature on Alert Nerd, Jeff answers these conundrums anonymously. It’s like Savage Love as written by Detective Chimp. We call it Nerdly Advice.

Dear Nerdly Advice,

I met this guy at trivia night not too long ago, and I know him well enough that we’re Facebook friends.  Which is to say, pretty much only superficially.  He keeps trying to ask me out without actually asking me out – saying things like “Hey, come out to the bar tonight.  I’ll buy you a comic book.”  I really don’t have anything against him and I’m sure he’s a nice guy.  Nominally, he’s only being social and friendly – it’s not overly CREEPY or anything – but how can I make him stop without looking like a bitch?

Conflicted In Central City